Roads Untraveled
by Aecoris
Summary: Sequel to The Burden of Being Me and You - The brothers are facing a completely different life now with the Croatoan Virus spreading all over the world. With challenges and trouble up ahead, they will need each other more then ever. They remain focused on saving people and building a safe community, but what will happen when they're faced with old and new enemies alike? DemonDean
1. Prologue

_This is the sequel to a previous story, The Burden of Being me and You. I would suggest reading that story first, or nothing will make sense. :) Thank you to everyone who read and reviewed the previous story and I welcome and new readers! This story takes place one year after "Burden" ended. I hope you will enjoy the continuation of this universe._

* * *

**Prologue**

Like the rest of the world, downtown Sioux Falls was a wasteland compared to what it used to be. Litter filled the streets, windows were smashed from looters' stray bullets and stalled cars were visible for as far as the eye could see.

It didn't take long for the world to collapse. Lexi remembered this all too clearly. Anyone that took the 'swine flu' vaccine turned into a raging Croat, anyone that those people bit changed as well.

She thought humanity had been doing a decent job at first. There had been shelters placed, television still broadcasted, people were gathering together and protecting one another. They had more than enough bullets to fight off the infected because people caught onto the vaccine. Broadcast television and music went off the radio, to be only filled with news reports and warnings. People stopped going to work, trains, planes and taxis stopped operating.

Eventually, less and less of the news stations continued to report, sometimes news people were attacked in front of the camera, for anyone watching to see. Not that it was a shocking sight, people were getting attacked left and right, starting in the major cities and spreading outwards. The streets were jammed packed which made it easy for Croats and Muggers to attack; farmers abandoned their farms, leaving to food to rot. People were lucky to find cans and boxes of food in the rubble and abandoned stores. Electricity eventually went down all together, with too much damage and no one available to repair it. Even with all this, people were still surviving and fighting.

But then...the demons came. Creatures with black eyes that Lexi first thought were people with a different virus. But these things weren't human at all, they had these...these powers that could lift stuff and start fire...but most of all, those powers could kill.

And that's exactly what the demons did. They disguised themselves as humans by making their eyes seem normal, they pretended to be their friends. They took over a group of people who had gone out to gather some more supplies. Then, their eyes flicked to black and they announced they were demons straight from Hell and that was where the world was going to.

Then they killed. Lexi had been lucky enough to hear rumors of the demons and actually believed them. She noticed that those people in their group had seemed colder, evil almost, and she had taken her son Aiden and ran. Ran like a coward as she heard the rest of her town get shot, stabbed and slaughtered like animals. She even thought she heard the demons release Croats into the crowd, it would make sense, the demons wanted as many Croats running loose as possible.

She had fled to Sioux Falls, Aiden crying and asking countless questions the entire time, questions that Lexi couldn't answer.

Questions like, "Why did you leave Daddy in that room?"

Why had she? She had been too cowardly to try and explain to Mark that these people were evil and they had to leave. She had been afraid that she wouldn't have been able to get to her husband in time, who had been standing on the other side of the room, going over food rations.

They had been near the exit of the library, the building that they had gathered in together to stay safe. How great that worked out.

Lexi had been too worried about saving her own skin. If Aiden had been on the other side of the room, would she have gone after him?

She sure hoped so.

Her cowardice had its consequences, and Lexi was certain that Aiden didn't trust her any longer. He didn't look up to her like he used to. He never said it out loud, but there were moments where the expression on his small face just screamed "You let Daddy die!"

He was right, though, after all.

She had been staying with Aiden alone in Sioux Falls for six months. Six months of watching the same thing happen here that did in her small town. Except there was more. More rioting, killing, demons, everything.

Everything fell apart.

The worst feeling of them all was feeling like she had lost her son. Sure, she hadn't been prepared for motherhood at 17, and she still felt like she was doing everything wrong at 23. She was a terrible mother and an even more horrible wife. She hadn't wanted to get married so young and just because of their son, but both her parents and Mark's pushed it. Mark had loved her but Lexi...while Mark was a good father and a very loving man, he had never been the one for her. Maybe that's why she didn't go after him to try and save him, to for once finally feel free. It was selfish and so horrible and she destroyed Aiden's trust in her for doing so. Not only had he watched his grandmother, Lexi's mother, get bitten and turn, but he had to hear his father die as well.

Lexi was so wrapped in her thoughts that she nearly missed Aiden tugging on her pants.

"Mommy, look." The young boy pointed to a small bookshop that looked just as filthy and destroyed as every other building on the block. "Can I go look for some books?"

They didn't have time for this; they needed to find a grocery store or some place that might have some boxed or canned food. But Lexi had let Aiden down enough, so she reluctantly agreed to go into the bookstore.

"Only for a few minutes Aiden, we need to get some food. Stay near me and don't make any noise."

Aiden grinned and hugged his stuffed dog to his chest, the dog he brought everywhere, the one that Mark had bought for him on his 5th birthday, the last normal birthday he would ever have.

They walked as silently as possible, Lexi scanning the store for any survivors or Croats, it seemed they were alone. Leading Aiden over to the children's section, they had to step over many fallen and dirty books, but there were still a good amount that were untouched on the shelves that hadn't fallen over.

She was hoping Aiden would hurry, but he had a hand on his chin as he squinted at the books like an old, thoughtful man would do. She couldn't suppress her sigh and he picked up individual books and attempted to read each title.

"What do you think of this one, Mommy?" Aiden held up a book with pictures of farm animals on it but she barely glanced at it. They had to leave, nowhere was safe.

"It's good, come on, let's go now." She grabbed Aiden's arm and spun around, but in her haste she didn't look where she was walking. An opened book was on the ground, the pages facing up and she slipped on it, bringing Aiden down with her and knocking over a chair in the process.

The groans and growls started almost immediately. Lexi didn't know where they were coming from, but they sounded like they were inside the store so she did the first thing that came to mind, she jumped up with Aiden and ran to the door.

She was well ahead of the Croats, who seemed to be rather slow, and thought they were home free...

As soon as they got outside, a Croat came bolting from the left and knowing that the monster was going to grab onto one of them, it was much too fast, she shoved Aiden roughly ahead of her just in time for the Croat to run into her.

Falling to the ground with the snarling beast on top of her, Lexi struggled wildly, she felt pain but didn't stop to think of what it meant, all that mattered was that she get her knife out and overpower the thing pinning her down.

Thinking quickly, Lexi brought her elbow down on the monster's head as it went to bite at her throat, distracting it for only a second.

But it was long enough for her to pull out her knife and stab the thing in the eye. It growled one last time and then its disgusting body fell limply on top of her.

Pushing the body off, Lexi felt a sharp pain slicing through her left arm. As Aiden ran over to her, tears streaming down his face, she took a look at her limb to see...

A bite. Somewhere in the struggle the thing had bitten her. She was dead. In hours she would be the very thing that just attacked her.

In a way, she figured she deserved it after all. It was a miracle she survived this long.

Her son's weak whimpering and the groans from the slow Croats in the bookstore brought her out of her shock. She was dead, and Aiden most likely would be without her, but he at least deserved a shot. Maybe he'd get lucky and some hunters would find him, the people who were experienced at killing these and all other types of monsters. That would be Aiden's best shot. It was slim, but at least he'd have a chance.

The thing was, she had to make him let her go, no matter how harsh she may have to be.

She grabbed her son's hand, realizing how small and fragile he felt in that moment. He'd never make it. She should kill him now and spare him the misery of being ripped apart by a Croat.

No, no, she couldn't do that. There could still be hope for him. But first thing, she had to bring him somewhere safe. After running a few blocks, Lexi spotted a small coffee shop on a corner and rushed inside. She had to break this news to him quickly, who knew when she would turn?

She knelt down behind the counter, body already starting to feel weak and sluggish, beginning to fail. "Aiden, sweetie, you're going to have to go on your own now, I got bit." She quickly showed the boy her wound. "I'm not going to make it so it's up to you, okay?"

Immediately, tears started streaming down Aiden's face. "But...but you said there could be a cure! It's been a long time Mommy, maybe there's one now."

Lexi shook her head, frustrated. "No Aiden, there's not. The same thing is going to happen to me that happened to grandma. We can't stop it. You've got to hide here and look for anyone that comes by so they can help you, do you understand?"

Aiden just kept sniffling. "But Mommy! Don't leave me please! I'm scared."

Anger flowing through her, Lexi raised her voice as much as she dared, her voice cold. "You stay here and don't follow me! I don't want you anywhere near me! Now stay here and shut up until someone comes by!" It killed her to talk like this to her son, but it was the only way he'd listen.

Aiden dropped to the floor, sitting there and clutching his stuffed dog. "Go away! I hate you! You made daddy die and now you will too!"

Those were the words she knew all along, her son hated her and now...now she was getting what she deserved. Forcing herself to look away from her son, Lexi turned and ran out of the building, determined to get as far as she could before she turned.

* * *

_Weep not for roads untraveled _

_Weep not for paths left alone _

_'Cause beyond every bend _

_Is a long blinding end _

_It's the worst kind of pain I've known_


	2. Chapter 1

_Thank you for all the follows and for the reviews! Without any further comments, here is the official first chapter!_

* * *

The town was silent except for the sound of crunching leaves and debris caused by the feet of the three people that wandered the empty streets.

Dean and Sam Winchester kept lookout, between them was a young boy, probably 6 or 7, who would occasionally sniffle and hug his stuffed dog to his chest.

They found the boy alone, huddled under a turned over table in one of the small local coffee shops while they were out in town looking for more supplies and possibly, survivors who could be trusted and taken back to Bobby's.

Dean would kill for some coffee right now. And pie. Damn, how he missed pie.

The boy and his mother got separated a few days ago, from what Dean could make out of his high pitched snotty crying. They had gone out to try and find food and ran into some Croats, mother got bit by one and left him. Father had apparently been killed by demons, explaining why the kid turned frantic when he saw Dean's black eyes.

Again, this was only what Dean assumed from the choked out, simple story the kid gave them. It had taken a lot of coaxing but they were eventually able to convince the kid that Dean wasn't a bad demon.

At least the twerp had stopped crying. For the time being, that was. Dean had learned to appreciate the little things. Sort of.

As long as he had his baby brother by his side though healthy and happy, well as happy as he could possibly be given the situation, Dean was good.

"Dean."

Speaking of Sammy...

The younger brother grabbed Dean's jacket to stop him and pointed at a group of disabled cars to their left.

Something was moving. And groaning. A Croat, at least one, hopefully not more.

Dean pulled out his gun and so did Sam, they went to aim for an easy kill...

And then the Croat woman jumped out, sprinting towards them. She was a young one, her body not deteriorating yet, she looked normal if it wasn't for the crazy look on her face and the blood all over her body, most of which was not hers.

Unfortunately, she was also quick and her brain wasn't as fried yet as she actually attempted to dodge their bullets, which hit her in the arms and legs, not slowing her down in the slightest.

And then the little boy took off. He dropped his stuffed dog and ran with his arms wide open. "Mommy!" he cried.

Well, shit.

Sam dropped his gun and went after the kid so quickly that Dean hardly had time to realize his brother left his side. Dean ran after, but Sam had already grabbed the struggling little boy when the Croat jumped on them both.

"Sammy!" Dean screamed. In the tussle Sam had managed to push the little boy out. He was a foot or two away from the fight, crying hysterically.

Dean didn't pay him a second glance.

He reached for the Croat, not wanting to shoot because Sam was tangled up with it, the thing howled, snapping and biting his arms. Not that it mattered, it wasn't like demons could get infected, but it was still disgusting.

Once he had a firm grip on the Croat's collar, he reached out with his powers and pushed Sam out of the way. He then flung the infected woman on the ground, her head cracking against the pavement from his inhuman strength.

"Bye bye bitch," Dean growled as he emptied a bullet into her skull.

They had to hurry; the commotion could have attracted other Croats, especially the young and strong ones like the woman.

But first and foremost, he had to check on his brother.

Dean ran back over to Sam's side, kneeling down next to him. As soon as he saw the look in his sad eyes, he knew something was terribly wrong.

"Dean," Sam practically whimpered, he was clutching onto his forearm and Dean could see blood dropping down.

No. No this wasn't fucking happening! They had been so careful, so damn careful up to this point!

"It's okay Sammy." Dean forced his voice to remain calm and sure. "Let me take a look at that."

"No." Sam shook his head, tears falling from his eyes.

"Sammy, you gotta let me, man. I can help you, come on, it's alright..." Sam finally began to pull his shaking hand away. "That's it...you're okay..."

Dean's breath caught in his throat as Sam fully removed his hand. There, bleeding with a chunk of skin missing, was a Croat bite.

Not his fucking Sammy!

The kid suddenly wailed long and loud and Dean whipped his head around to face him. "Shut the hell up you little brat! This is your goddamn fault!"

The kid screamed louder, his cries piercing Dean's ears.

"Dean," Sam said quietly. "Don't, it's not his fault. It's mine."

"Like hell it is! He's the one that ran right toward the monster!" Dean turned to address the kid again. "Shut up or more of them will come and they'll kill you this time!"

The kid hiccupped, still crying, but not as loud. "Don't kill me Mr. Demon! I'm sorry!"

Dean looked away, not wanting to deal with the brat any longer. He glanced down at Sam's wound, feeling a hollow and angry feeling dwell up inside him. Something he hadn't experienced in a long time, at least not this strongly.

He had to relax. Sam could be okay. He probably was okay.

"You're alright Sammy," Dean repeated himself. "You're immune, remember? This will sting and ache but it won't infect you. You'll be fine."

"But Dean... The virus is so more advanced then it was back then. It's stronger now, I might not be immune any longer..."

"Don't say that!" Dean growled, not realizing that he had busted the glass of the building across the street from his powers due to anger. "You're stronger now, too! You have a lot more of that demon blood in you now. You've been taking it every day. You're good, Sammy."

"You think so?" Sam asked shakily, his voice finally holding some hope.

Dean took out a water bottle filled with the blood mixture, urging Sam to drink. "I know so, Sammy. When have I ever lied to you?"

Dean hoped like hell he wasn't lying today.

A few Croats had been awakened during the kid's obnoxious screaming, so Dean helped pick his brother up and turned to the little boy.

"Come on, kid, follow me."

"But my doggy!" the little boy sobbed, pointing at his stuffed dog that lay a few feet away.

"If you want it so bad, then go grab it and hurry up!"

The kid ran to grab his stuffed toy and Dean turned to his brother, who was standing upright on his own, but looking terribly shaken.

"Come on, Sammy. We're heading to Bobby's. He has stuff where you can clean that wound up..."

"No." Sam shook his head stubbornly. "We can't go to Bobby's."

Dean glared at his brother, not believing what he was hearing. "We have to go back, Sam! What the hell are you thinking?"

"Dean, what if I turn there? I'd put everyone in danger!"

Dean clenched his teeth, wanting to shake his brother but kept his hands at his sides. "You're not gonna turn! I told you, you're immune. You'll be fine!"

"Even if that's true Dean...I don't want to take chances. And we can't risk going back and having everyone see the bite. They'll be suspicious even if they don't see it, with me locking myself in the room..."

"Sammy..."

"No...Dean. I can't...and if they see the bite and then I'm okay...they'll know I'm immune. Do you know how much hassle that will create? They could want to use my blood and try to find a vaccine, even though we know that doesn't work...you wouldn't want that to happen..."

Sam trying to make Dean feel guilty worked. Of course he wouldn't want to risk the group finding out Sam was immune and using him!

"Fine, we're gonna find somewhere to stay though..." The kid came running back to join the brothers. "..keep a lookout for any apartment buildings...you too, kid. The Croats will have a harder time breaking in to apartments and finding our room rather than a house."

* * *

It took them about an hour, they ran into Croats a few times and had to backtrack, but they found an apartment building that was down a side street.

Sam wasn't looking so good and Dean was freaked as hell. Deep down, he wanted to believe Sam would be okay, but what if he wasn't?

There was a good chance the virus had advanced so that it COULD infect Sam.

But he wouldn't think of that now. Not when Sammy needed him. He couldn't flip out with anger and smash and kill things like he wanted to.

They made their way into the building and up to the top floor. Dean had to help Sam, who was feeling light-headed and sweating, up the steps.

"Almost there, Sammy, then you can lay down."

"I'm...I'm fine Dean..." Sam mumbled, not sounding convincing in the slightest.

"Mr. Demon...I'm hungry," the kid whined, tugging on Dean's jacket.

"Shut the hell up kid! Would you rather be a little hungry or get eaten by a Croat?"

The kid began sniffling a bit, but the sobs didn't start. Thank goodness.

Several of the doors were left wide open, the rooms trashed. Walking further down the hall, Dean found one that had been left locked and dead bolted. The owner probably left their apartment, locking the door behind them thinking they would return once the "flu" passed.

Little did they know.

It looked like no one bothered to try and loot it, thinking it would waste too much time when there were easier places to steal from.

Dean knelt down in front of the lock after helping Sammy lean against the wall. He worked on the lock and deadbolt in silence, using his powers to help him as well. If it wouldn't have alerted Croats and scavengers, Dean would have just kicked the door down.

Finally freeing the door, Dean opened it, entering stealthy just in case the owner had locked themselves inside.

The place looked like it hadn't been touched in months, perfect. Still, Dean checked all the rooms.

"Alright, Sammy, it's safe, come on in."

Dean turned just in time to see Sam collapse as he stepped in the apartment.

Of course, Dean caught him before he could fall, and Sam instantly began attempting to bat Dean away.

"I'm okay...I'm okay Dean..." Even his voice sounded weak.

"Like hell you are!" Dean grabbed Sam, actually picked his giant body up in his arms and carried him into the dusty bedroom. "Don't take it out on me if there's spiders in the bed, alright, Sammy?" He helped to gently lay his brother down on the bed.

Noises altered Dean and he turned to see the damn kid rustling through the cabinets. He sighed and looked back at his brother. "I'll be right back, okay, Sammy?"

The younger brother nodded weakly and Dean spun around and stormed into the living area. He held out his hand and with his powers, shutting and locking the door into the hallway and causing the little boy to jump.

"What the hell do you think you're doing, kid?" Dean growled.

"I'm...I'm just hungry Mr. Demon, sir...please..."

"You can eat when we're sure we're safe. Safety's the top priority in this life. You can't just sit back and stuff your face whenever you feel like it anymore. There are no more luxuries, so close the damn blinds before any scavengers or demons see us in here."

The kid was shaking, but still listened to Dean's requests as he ran over and attempted to close the curtains and blinds. Dean made his way into the bathroom, which other than having some cobwebs, was actually pretty clean.

Immediately heading over to the medicine cabinet, Dean discovered some expired Tylenol that would have to do and grabbed hydrogen peroxide and ointment. There were no bandages, but Dean could make his own.

Hopefully Sammy was only sporting an infection that would wear away with some medicine.

Dean checked in on his brother, who was looking pale and sick, but still awake. He wanted to get Sammy cleaned up as soon as possible, but he needed to make sure the kid was settled and that the apartment was safe. They didn't need anyone or anything breaking in with their backs turned.

The kid had actually done a decent job, Dean only had to fix one section of the blinds. He then found extra blankets in the closet and stuffed it under the door. He doubted that anyone would come walking through the apartment building, but they could never be too safe.

Then, closing his eyes, Dean concentrated and was able to light up the whole room, the electricity being contained and not spreading through the whole building.

"Wow!" The little boy jumped up, nearly dropping his stuffed dog. "Power! Lights! This is so cool! I haven't seen power in forever! Will the air and toilets work?"

"I don't know," Dean grumbled. He reluctantly walked over to the fridge, being prepared to be assaulted with revolting smells of long-ago spoiled food.

Instead, he found only beverages. As if whoever stayed here knew they wouldn't be returning for a while and didn't want to clean up the rotting mess when they returned. It almost made Dean think someone else was living here still.

He grabbed a warm water bottle since they were out of the ones they had carried with them. Walking away, Dean checked the rest of the small living area that doubled as a kitchen and dining area. He then wandered into the bathroom. No one was there and he already checked the bedroom. They were safe. No one else was here.

Dean walked past the kid who was now laying on the couch and flipping through the magazines on the end table. Back in the bedroom, he unscrewed the cap to the water bottle and lifted his brother's head up.

"Come on, Sammy, drink."

"Dean...," Sam mumbled, some water dripping out of his mouth. "It hurts...and my head..."

"What with your head?"

"I feel dizzy...and I feel...I feel sick..."

"It's probably just an infection, Sammy. Don't worry, I've got stuff here to patch you up. You'll be feeling fine after a good night's sleep, alright?"

"But...but what if I turn, Dean?"

"Stop being a freak and shut up about that. I told you you'll be fine and I don't want to hear a single word otherwise, got it?"

Sam simply nodded and Dean gently grabbed his arm to check on the wound. Sam attempted weakly to pull the arm back to his chest, his face a picture of fear and pain.

"You know I gotta check on it, dummy. Come on, don't fight me."

Sam finally stopped fighting and let Dean grab his arm and unwrap the fabric that he had tied earlier around the bite.

"Shit." The wound was inflamed and red and was starting to ooze puss.

"Wha...what? Dean?"

Dean hadn't realized he said that out loud. Crap. He used his powers to push his brother's head back down on the pillow.

"Nothing. It's infected, doesn't look too good. But I'm gonna take care of you. Just relax, okay?"

Sam nodded but then quickly shook his head. Dean sighed in response, "What, Sam?"

"I...I want to tell you something."

"Okay, then spit it out."

Sam swallowed, his eyes darting away from his brother briefly only to quickly lock his gaze on Dean's black eyes.

"If I don't make it out of this..."

"Oh god, don't even START with that shit, Sam!"

Sam reached up weakly and grabbed Dean's arm. "No...please…I need to tell you...I don't think you know."

"Then hurry the hell up already!"

"I...I just wanted to tell you I'm sorry. I'm sorry for not believing that it was you...you went through Hell for me, Dean and I beat you up. I'm so sorry."

Dean rolled his eyes with a sigh. "Whatever, it's fine, Sam. We're good now."

"No!" Sam yelled and squeezed Dean's arm. "No it's not fine! I'm sorry for taking you for granted before. Whether it be Stanford or calling you selfish for selling your soul. I never meant to hurt you, Dean..."

"Alright, that's enough..."

"It's not though! I don't think you realize how much you mean to me, Dean. How proud I am of you for still being my brother even though you're a demon. I don't think any less of you, Dean, I need you to know that."

"Stop being an idiot, I already know that."

"I...just...I needed you to know. Because when I turn you have to kill me and not feel bad..."

"Sam ." Dean felt like he was practically shouting. "I'm not gonna kill you. You're not gonna turn. And even if you were, I don't give a damn, I'd keep you safe until I found a cure. I wouldn't give up on you."

Sam shook his head, a few tears falling. "You always save me, Dean. I feel like I never am able to save you. But I want you to know that I try, I try so damn hard and I'd do anything for you..."

"Okay, I think that's the fever talking Sammy, I gotta get this wound taken care of."

"Wait...please just know I'm sorry Dean..."

Dean sighed, he guessed he'd have to address this, just for his brother. "Sammy, I know that. And it's alright, honestly, it is and I know you've got my back, alright? You help me more than you realize, stupid bitch, remember Alastair?"

Sam finally cracked a smile and Dean was just happy this conversation was over with.

Opening up the bottle of hydrogen peroxide, Dean decided to not warn his brother as he dumped the solution over the wound.

Sam screamed, the wound bubbling and although Dean immediately dabbed at the wound, Sam's eyes rolled back as he passed out.

At least he wouldn't feel the rest of the cleaning process.

Dean was nearly done patching Sam up when a loud static-like noise suddenly erupted from the living area. Running in, Dean was greeted by the kid frantically pushing the buttons on the TV.

"What the hell are you doing?" Dean yelled as loud as he dared. He walked over and shut the TV off.

"I...was just trying to watch TV! I'm sorry, Mr. Demon!"

"You know the TVs stopped broadcasting months ago! Just because I got power working doesn't mean the newscasters and actors are gonna come back from the dead and start making programs again! The world is going to Hell, kid, survival is what the rest of us are worried about, not damn TV shows!"

"I'm sorry! I thought the power meant the TV would work! Does that mean Barney is dead too, Mr. Demon?"

Dean sighed. He knew Sam would laugh in this situation but he was too pissed and worried to do so. "Yeah, Barney's dead, too. And STOP calling me Mr. Demon! My name is Dean, kid! Call me Dean!"

"Okay...okay Mr. Dean. My name is Aiden."

Oh right, maybe Dean should have asked for the kid's name. Or maybe the kid had already told them and Dean just didn't care to listen. Oh well.

"But...but maybe the DVDs will work?" Aiden pointed to a DVD case, season 2 of Everybody Loves Raymond.

"Give me that." Dean snatched the DVD box out of the kid's hand and popped out the first disc. He slipped it in, lowering the volume all the way but there was still only static.

Shit. Sammy would know how to do this, he was the tech wiz. Dean tried to think of what his brother would tell him every time they wanted to watch a DVD. He'd roll his eyes and say something about "input".

Dean looked down at the remote and sure enough, there was an input button. Once he pressed it, a bunch of options popped up. He assumed he had to click the DVD one, so he scrolled down until it was highlighted.

Sure enough, once the button was pressed the DVD menu popped up, Dean clicked play and then tossed the remote carelessly to the kid.

Aiden suddenly jumped up and grabbed onto Dean's legs, hugging them tightly.

"Thank you, Mr. Dean."

Dean didn't like the feeling of having his legs trapped. It reminded him of Hell, being tied down and unable to move. Finding himself freaking out a bit over his lack of freedom and the uncomfortable sensation of this hug, Dean pried the kid off of him roughly.

"Shut up and sit down. Don't turn the volume up any louder."

Aiden nodded, clutching the remote in his small hands.

"Good. Now I'm going in there to take care of my brother. You don't come in our room unless there's an emergency, do you understand me?"

"Is he going to be okay?" Aiden looked sad and Dean could see the tears welling up. "He looked really sick."

Dean found himself getting mad for whatever reason. "Of course he's going to be okay!" he growled. "He's just sick, I'm going to take care of him and he'll be fine. I'm his big brother and I'm not gonna let him down!"

Aiden just stared at Dean blankly after his rant. Dean was breathing heavily and could feel his hands begin to shake. He didn't know why he had screamed that or felt the need to defend his big brother skills. All that he knew was that he was pissed and felt out of control.

If he got this spazzy from thinking of the possibility of losing Sam, just how would he get if Sam...

No, he wasn't going to think of that. Sam would be fine. And Dean was going to be fine, too. He wasn't going to turn into some crazy violent rage-filled demon, because he'd have Sam. Sammy was going to be okay.

Dean turned away from Aiden and stormed back into the bedroom. The only reason he didn't slam the door was because Sam was sleeping and needed all the rest he could get.

Dean ran a hand through his longer than usual hair at the site of his little brother sleeping restlessly on the bed. Sweat was dripping down Sam's forehead so Dean poured some of the water from the bottle on a clean washcloth and ran it over his face.

"You'll be feeling as good as new when you wake up, Sammy. Big brother will fix you yet again and then I'll beat your ass for getting bitten in the first place, how's that sound?"

Dean stared at Sam's face, which was pain-filled even in his sleep, and sighed.

"That was really stupid of you. Shoulda just let the kid run if he was going to be an idiot and approach the Croat like that. But no, of course you had to save the little brat and risk your own life." Dean tossed the washcloth on the nightstand and turned his attention to finishing the bandaging of Sam's wound.

"You know I'm proud of you for being like that though, even if it pisses me off at the same time. You're a real good kid, Sammy, or I should say man, you're only a kid to me." Dean tightened the bandage, feeling lost at what to do next. "A lot of people are turning into sick monsters, and I'm not talkin' about the Croats. But you're showing all these other people that there's still good guys out there who want to help. And well, I guess that's pretty cool."

Dean focused and the lights went off in the apartment room. Better to leave them off while they were sleeping. Just in case.

"And I'm not saying to stop trying to protect these idiots, cause I know you won't stop. But you're being a helluva lot more careful after this." Dean shook his head, his hands shaking. "Or it's me that's gotta be more careful. I shoulda been able to pull you away when you ran toward that Croat. I should have been faster. If I would have, then none of this would be happening. I gotta keep an eye on you, never let you out of my site, be more focused..."

Dean trailed off, hanging his head. He felt dizzy, which was strange because it wasn't like demons could get sick. But Dean's head felt like it was about to explode, his heart beating in his chest so fast it felt like it would rip out of his body. He bit his lip so hard that it punctured the skin and it began to bleed.

_Deep breaths. That's all, take deep breaths. You're fine you stupid idiot. _

Dean noticed an odd feeling on his face. He brought a shaky hand up and ran it along his cheek. Feeling something wet, Dean pulled his hand away to take a look.

There, on his fingertip was one tear. A fucking tear. He had been crying.

Slamming his fist down on the nightstand, Dean cursed at his emotions. He was a demon, a pathetic, broken demon who let his brother get bitten by a Croat. He didn't deserve to feel any emotions, let alone emotions this strong that it actually caused him to shed a tear.

"Some brother you have, Sammy, I'm so damn strong that I cry? What a fucking joke…"

He didn't think demons could fucking cry unless they were faking it. But apparently Dean was so screwed up that he could.

He didn't deserve it, after everything he did, after what he just let happen, he only deserved to feel nothing at all, to not have any form of releasing his worry and sadness.

_Get your act together loser, you're a damn demon and can't even man up. Imagine if Sam saw you like this! _

_You're fine, you're an emotionless strong demon. Nothing is affecting you. _

_You're a failure of a brother. _

_Just fine, nothing wrong here. _

No. He wasn't fine. He'd fucking admit it. He was scared shitless.

Sammy could be turned come morning.

"I'm sorry Sammy, I'm so fucking sorry."


	3. Chapter 2

_Thank you for continuing to read this adventure and for the reviews! I would also like to thank my beta and friend, Gabi, for continuing to support me in the series and for making the story a better one in general. Thank you for putting in the time to not only make corrections but offer advice and your opinion for not only this story, but the many others you have helped me over, what has it been...4 years, 5? I know my stories are much better with your help! :)_

* * *

Dean didn't know how long he'd been talking; all he knew was that the sky had gone dark a while ago as night had fallen. He barely registered the sound of the fast approaching late spring thunderstorm. Thunder filled the silence where Sam should have been talking.

"Remember how your ass would freak out during these things, Sammy?" Dean hardly paused between his thoughts as he rambled on. "You would jump out of your bed sobbing like a big wuss and crawl into mine. I'd have to tell you stories until you finally passed out, drooling on me."

Dean looked over at his brother, who's only movement the past hours had been twitching restlessly in his sleep. Putting a hand on Sam's forehead, Dean growled when he felt that his brother was still burning up. But he didn't feel as warm as he had earlier...he was getting better...

Unless it was just Dean's mind telling him what he wanted to believe. Sam's fever could be getting worse.

But he did feel cooler, Dean was nearly sure of it.

"You're getting better, Sammy. As soon as you wake your ass up I'll get you something to eat. I found a bunch of cans of soup in the cupboards. And guess what? They have your favorite, that shit with all the vegetables in it. I remember you'd start sobbing when we only had chicken noodle left. I had to haul you to the grocery store, all sniffling and shit, and get your vegetable kind. I hated seeing you cry. You were pretty damn annoying and...I don't know, I wanted to get you whatever you wanted. You had to live a sucky ass life in motel rooms and could never be a normal kid. I guess I wanted to just try to give you as many normal things as possible. If it was something I could do, you'd be damn sure I'd get it for you, or you know, steal it."

Dean let out a long sigh. "Hell, I still want that normal for you. As normal as you could get. Even though you insisted you wanted me to stick around, that you wanted to travel with me...I still wanted you to have some semblance of normal. You know, go to bars and get wasted, hook up with girls or even us just taking some damn time off between cases to go to places you always wanted to. Or just us fricken hanging out and being brothers. And then this happened and the whole world's fucked up and it's nearly impossible to find anything normal. But at least we got Bobby's place and we help train those kids. You can look after the people there, I know you like being all helpful and that crap. But Sammy...you gotta know that I didn't want any of this shit to happen, even though I don't care what happens to the world, I didn't want this to happen because I know how much it hurts you. If I had known what the hell the demons were doing, you know I would have fought tooth and nail to stop those sons of..."

A loud clap of thunder and burst of lightning filled he night. Dean even jumped a bit and then...

Then the damn kid ran into their room, sobbing, and went right to Sam, shaking his arm.

"Mr. Sam, Mr. Sam..."

Dean couldn't take anymore. He held up his hand and the kid fell backwards, landing on his butt, wide eyes staring at Dean.

Marching over, Dean grabbed the kids arm and hauled him up.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he whispered. "I told you he's hurt and needs his rest! And you just come in here screaming?"

"I'm sorry Mr. Dean..." Aiden's voice wasn't any quieter. "I just..."

"What did I tell you about yelling?!"

Aiden turned his sad eyes to the ground. "I'm sorry. I just was scared of the thunder and I had a really bad nightmare that Mr. Sam died just like Mommy and I don't want anyone else to die..."

Dean sighed and felt himself relax a bit at the mention of his brother's name. The kid was worried about Sam...he of all people could understand that.

"Sam's gonna be fine, kid. He'll be up and at it tomorrow as long as you don't wake him up. Now get back to sleep." Dean pointed at the doorway.

Aiden sniffled. "Can I please stay in here with you guys?"

"No, you have your own couch in there, no one's gonna get you so just go."

Big fat tears started to fall from the kid's face. Just great. "But I'm scared! I miss Mommy and I wasn't with her and then she turned into a Croat monster! She was sick too! If I'm not with Mr. Sam maybe he'll turn into one too!"

Dean rubbed at his eyes and groaned. He was exhausted and pissed but he could feel himself relating to the little brat. How did he used to act with kids when he was human? He remembered that he used to be really good with them, but he wasn't sure how or what made the kids like him so much.

Oh well, there was no use in trying to pretend and act like how he used to be. Dean figured he'd just say whatever came to his mind. The kids at Bobby's seemed to like him fine.

Dean knelt down in front of Aiden who was staring right into Dean's black eyes with curiosity and fascination. Dean knew this kid had to have run-ins with demons that tried to hurt him and his group, so he was surprised that Aiden wasn't trying to run away and didn't seem frightened.

Dean guessed it was just that blind trust kids have in adults, especially when Dean and Sam had saved the kid and were providing him shelter. Aiden could probably tell that Dean was different than those other demons, which was good. He didn't want to be like those assholes.

"Listen, Sam didn't get bitten," Dean lied. "He's gonna be fine, he's just sick...normal sick. Okay? He'll get better quicker if you're not in the room 'cause that way I can take care of him easier." Dean paused to make sure the kid was following his train of thought. "And about your mom, I get it, kid. I do. Me and Sammy lost our mom when we were really little, even younger than you. It's scary as hell. But we kept on going, after our dad died too. Because you know what, they would want us to be brave and they'd be proud of us and that's what your mom would want to."

Aiden was nodding his head at first but then a confused expression took over his small features. "How can you and Mr. Sam be brothers if you're a demon? Was your mommy a human and daddy a demon?"

Dean just gave that nice freakin' speech and that's all the kid had to say?

"No! That's not...it doesn't work like that...I was human when I was born. You know what Hell is right?" At Aiden's frightened nod, Dean continued. "Well Sammy got killed. And I went there, to Hell, in exchange to get him back, so he would be alive again. I turned into a demon there and then I came back to be with my brother again."

"That's why you're not evil right? Because you went there to save Mr. Sam and not 'cause you did bad stuff? Because you love him?"

Two years ago...hell, maybe even a year and a half ago Dean would have avoided the question, thinking a big bad demon shouldn't admit that stuff. That, and the fact that he was embarrassed. But now...why avoid it? He did love Sam and he wasn't ashamed of it. Bobby was right; his love for his brother did make him stronger and smarter than any other demon.

"Yeah, I do. But I'm not any saint, kid. I've done some pretty crappy stuff and I don't really care about a lot of things."

"But you don't hurt nice people, right?"

"No, I don't." Dean could answer that honestly.

"Then you're not evil. You're just grumpy and a little mean."

Dean rolled his eyes and turned to check on his brother. Sam looked the same as before, still sleeping restlessly. He needed to get the kid out of here.

Aiden started tugging on Dean's jeans and the older Winchester turned around and glared at him.

"Can I please, please sleep in here? I can be brave starting tomorrow."

Knowing that Aiden wouldn't shut up and would probably continue to cry in the other room, Dean gave in.

"Fine, but you're not sharing the bed." Dean eyed the couch in the living room and used is powers to lift it up and have it float into the room. "Watch your head, kid."

Aiden ducked and watched with fascinated eyes as the small couch landed quietly on the ground between the dresser and bed. Dean could have just had the kid lay on the floor but that would be pretty shitty. The kid wasn't an animal and Dean wasn't like that.

Besides, he wasn't as annoying as Dean first thought him to be.

Speaking of, Aiden ran up to Dean and hugged his legs tightly. "Thank you, Mr. Dean!" he said quietly and then jumped onto the couch.

Dean rolled his eyes as he shut the door silently with a swipe of his hand. Thank goodness Sam was asleep, if the younger brother had witnessed his interaction with Aiden; Dean would have never heard the end of it.

* * *

"Dean...Dean..."

With a grumble, Dean pushed the hand that was shaking him away. He was fucking tired and wasn't going to get up any time soon.

"Dean...hey...get up, man..." Dean recognized the voice as Sam's this time but his little brother could wait. Sam probably wanted to go search for supplies again, but he could hold up until Dean got a few more hours of sleep.

"Ge'way Sammy...wake me up later."

Sam pushed Dean harder. "Snap out of your sleep trance, dude. I'm...Dean look...I'm okay!"

Sam was okay? What...

Oh shit. The bite, the fever, the possible infection...

Dean sat up straight and jumped out of bed so fast that even with his super demon strength, he nearly got dizzy.

Standing in front of him was Sam, looking pale, sweaty and sick but his eyes were focused and he wasn't snarling and he was smiling and ...he was alive. He was fucking alive and here and Dean didn't lose him.

The feeling of relief was so overwhelming, it was like nothing Dean could remember feeling, so much more powerful than the anger and rage and fear he experienced in Hell.

Sam was staring at him with a befuddled expression. "Well, I'd just thought you'd want to know. Sorry I woke you up, you can go back..."

Dean couldn't take it anymore. He did the only thing that felt right in that moment, the only thing that really made sense to him.

He reached over and grabbed Sam's shoulders, tugging him to his chest quickly and tightly. He held on to his baby brother and didn't even pretend that he was embarrassed for doing this.

Sammy was going to be okay.

* * *

The first thing Sam realized when he woke up was that he felt like shit.

But that was just fine with him. He welcomed this feeling with open arms because it meant he didn't turn into a mindless, murderous Croat. He was still immune.

But the next thing he remembered had his stomach churning even more than it already had been. He remembered words...things that his brother had been saying while Sam had been fading in and out of consciousness.

Dean had obviously thought he had been asleep the entire time. The things Dean had said...how lowly he STILL thought of himself...how he blamed himself for Sam getting bitten, even though it was no one's fault but Sam's.

And then how Dean had opened up and talked about all their memories, even though he said them in his sarcastic-demony way...Sam could hear how much he cared, how worried he was...

Dean had even cried. His demon brother had shed a tear over Sam's condition...Sam didn't think demons were capable of crying. Yet Dean had been so afraid that his little brother would be dead come morning, that he had gotten so emotional to the point of crying.

Sam felt a lump in his throat and he had to stop thinking about Dean's words before he started crying himself. He needed to wake Dean up and let him know he was okay so his poor brother could quit worrying himself sick.

Dean had been passed out on the bed next to Sam. He had to try several times before he was able to successfully wake him up. Knowing his older brother, Sam figured that Dean had tried to stay awake and watch over him. Exhaustion had clearly won out though, and he had fallen asleep while keeping lookout.

Sam expected Dean to clamp his shoulder and smile, all while spewing out his cheesy smart-ass remarks.

But when Dean just stood there, staring at him with his mouth slightly open and his black eyes wide, Sam started to get a little unnerved. He had no idea what was going through his brother's mind.

"Well, I'd just thought you'd want to know." Sam found himself shrugging. "Sorry I woke you up, you can go back..."

Sam didn't get to finish as Dean rushed up to him and practically attacked him with a bone-crushing hug.

What the hell?

It was when Sam felt Dean's arms around him begin to shake that the reality of the situation really began to hit him. He almost died. Dean was almost left in this hell-hole of a world alone.

Sam didn't hesitate any longer and hugged Dean back as tightly as he could. God, he needed to be more careful. Dean needed him.

"Shit Sammy...don't you do that again..." Dean's voice was gruff as he spoke and he squeezed Sam tighter.

Sam felt something wet fall onto his shoulder. He smiled sadly as he realized what had happened. Dean...Dean had let out another tear.

Rather than embarrass Dean by pointing it out, as that was the last thing Dean would want, Sam pretended he hadn't noticed.

"I'm sorry Dean...I'm okay though. The Croats can't turn me." Sam patted Dean on the back twice, trying to comfort Dean in any way that would be allowed.

Dean was still squeezing him so hard that it physically hurt. "Don't apologize damnit; just don't ever scare me like that again." Dean finally pulled away, but kept his hands on Sam's shoulders as he looked him up and down. "You sure you're alright? How are you feeling?"

"Dean, I'm sure. I would have turned by now. I still am feeling pretty sick though, but it's nothing serious."

"It's probably just your body fighting the virus away. You won't turn but the virus is stronger so your body has to put up a bit of a fight to kill it off." Dean squeezed Sam's left shoulder once more and then let both his hands drop to his sides. "You should lie down, now. And I'm gonna mix you another blood mixture. It will probably help you feel better quicker."

Sam held his hands up. "Okay okay, I'll lie down." He sat down on the bed but noticed that there was a couch in the bedroom...Aiden...

"Dean, where's Aiden?"

"I'm sure he's fine, Sammy," Dean said. He walked over to the door but just as he was about to turn the door handle, it flew open and Aiden was standing there with a board game in his hands.

"Mr. Dean! Look what I found!" Aiden held up the box reading "Candy Land". "Can you play with me? Please, please?"

Dean wasn't sure why there was a children's board game in a one bedroom apartment that didn't look like it housed any kids. Maybe they had a niece or nephew that visited. "Not now kid, I'm kind of..."

"Mr. Sammy! You're awake!" Aiden screamed and ran over to the bed. He jumped on it and attacked Sam in a hug. "I knew you'd be okay! Mr. Dean said he'd take care of you and he did!"

Sam chuckled as he hugged Aiden. "Of course I got better. I've got my big brother taking care of me."

"Mr. Sammy, can you play Candy Land now, too?"

Dean saw Sam cringe at the mention of his nickname and he was glad that he wasn't the only one. "Hey enough with that, kid. Sam needs his rest still and you can't call him Sammy."

Aiden looked heartbroken. "Why? You call him Sammy all the time."

Dean sighed loudly but Sam ignored him and turned to face Aiden. "That's because that's Dean's special nickname for me. It's something only he uses and it means a lot to both of us. I don't like it when anyone else calls me that name."

"Okay, it's a special name. I didn't know, sorry, Mr. Sam." Aiden rubbed at his eyes.

"Enough with the _"Mr."_ crap!" Dean growled. "We're not your teachers, kid!"

"But you're supposed to call grown-ups Mr. and Mrs.!"

Sam decided to step in before Dean went nuts. "Yes, but only if you don't know them very well or they ARE your teachers. We're you're friends, Aiden. You don't call friends by titles."

"Yeah, from now on I'm just "Dean" and he's "Sam", alright?"

Aiden nodded eagerly. "Okay. Can we play Candy Land now?"

Sam laughed. "Go on, Dean."

"Shut up, you're awake now, you can play, too."

"Uh-uh. I'm still sick. I need my rest, remember? Your orders..."

Dean grabbed Candy Land from Aiden and glared at Sam. "Fine, stupid bitch." He turned to Aiden. "I'll play, but I'm making something for us to eat first, got it?"

As Aiden followed Dean, Sam caught a question from the little boy before the door closed.

"Dean, is 'stupid bitch' a special name you have for Sam too?"

* * *

Sam woke up to the sound of his brother's loud annoying voice.

"There's no way you beat me, you cheated!"

Stumbling out of bed, Sam opened the door to the living area just in time to see Dean flip over the game board, causing Aiden to crack up in laughter.

Sam shook his head, leaning against the doorframe. "Really, Dean? What's wrong, you're embarrassed that you, a big bad demon, got beaten by a child?"

"Shut your trap!" Dean turned to face Sam, whipping his arm in the younger brother's direction.

The game board shot through the air, and Sam was too weak to even bother attempting to duck.

Aiden laughed louder as the board got Sam in the face.

"You know Dean, I think you're the actual child here." Sam bent down to grab the board. "So mature aren't you? Getting embarrassed and throwing things?"

Sam laughed to himself but as soon as he went to stand up, the world began to spin around him. Dropping the game to the floor, he started to fall.

But just as Sam knew would happen, Dean was at his side, helping him before he toppled to the ground.

"Whoa, hey, hey take it easy." Dean led Sam over to the dining table and placed him in a chair. "Sit your ass down and stay there."

"I'm fine, Dean!" Sam attempted to push his stubborn big brother away. He was dizzy and felt a little nauseous, but he was already feeling a lot better than he had when he first woke up. Dean always had to make a bigger deal about the situation than it actually was.

"Yeah, falling on your ass and swaying on your feet is a normal everyday occurrence. You're perfectly fine." Dean narrowed his black eyes at Sam. "Do I need to remind you what happened to you yesterday?"

Sam rolled his eyes and focused his attention on Aiden, who was picking up the game board. "I know what happened, Dean. And I'm sorry but it just...It happened. I don't want you thinking now that you need to babysit me."

"What are you talking about? I was watching you and you STILL got attacked! I'm not letting you out of my damn sight!"

"I'm not a child, Dean! It wasn't your fault and I needed to be more careful! I need you to trust me on..." Sam stopped when he felt something tug at his jeans.

It was Aiden, staring up at his with sad eyes. "Please don't fight."

"Aiden, it's okay. We're just having a disagreement, we're not fighting..."

"Why don't you want Dean to protect you?"

"I do, Aiden, I just don't want him to always worry about me."

"But Dean's your big brother, right? He's supposed to protect you and worry about you. It's a big brother's job."

Dean slapped his hand down on the table in triumph. "Smart kid right there. Two to one Sammy, I win."

Aiden turned to Dean. "No, you lost Candy Land. Three times."

Dean glared at Aiden, who didn't seem frightened in the slightest. "You need to shut it right now or you're not getting any of this food you hear me?" Dean then turned to Sam. "You fine with mac and cheese Sammy?"

"Yeah, thanks, but I want you to listen to what I was saying, Dean..."

"You need to follow the advice I gave to the kid and shut it. You're not gonna get anywhere with me on this topic, understand?"

Sam set his jaw and fought not to respond. He didn't want Dean treating him like he couldn't fight and take care of himself. Dean was stubborn as hell but Sam could give him a run for his money. This conversation wasn't over and Sam would have to show Dean that he could handle himself out there without needing constant supervision.

Dean mistook Sam's silence for agreement. "Good, now eat everything I make for you and be quiet."

Sam sighed as Dean walked over to the kitchen, his powers allowing the appliances to work.

Aiden walked over and placed a bent Candy Land board on the table. "Will you play with me, Sam? Maybe you're better than Dean."

The innocence of the statement lightened Sam's mood a bit. "Sure, I'm much better than Dean."

* * *

Dean had cooked the boxed macaroni and split it between the three of them, of course giving Sam the biggest portion. They shared some graham crackers and Dean found a box of stale candy that didn't taste so bad when you haven't had the stuff in a year.

Things were going fine, peaceful even. Sam was playing, and winning, Candy Land with Aiden while Dean was doing what he did best, snooping through the apartment and shoving anything he found interesting into their backpacks.

Sam heard the noise first, it was nothing out of the ordinary, could have simply been an animal scurrying around. But in this new world, there was no such thing as being 'too careful'.

Sam stood up in the middle of his turn, causing Aiden to glance up at him in confusion.

"Wait, Sam. It's your turn."

Dean looked up from the classic car magazine he was flipping through while kicked back on the couch. "What is it?"

Sam held a finger to his lips as he looked at Aiden and then walked over to his brother. "I heard something, sounds like it's coming from downstairs in the building," he said quietly.

"An animal?" Dean had the same idea as Sam had. "Or a stray Croat?"

"I don't know. Sounded like a scuffle. It could be people not being quiet enough."

"Okay, then all we gotta do is shut up and they won't find us. And..." Dean closed his eyes, focusing, and the lights flickered off. "We'll be fine."

A moment later there was a loud thud, sounding closer than the noise that proceeded it and a woman's curse followed. A few male voices came after, hushed to the point where Sam couldn't understand their words, but not quiet enough to shield their voices.

"Come on..." Sam grabbed Aiden and started walking over to the bedroom. "Let's stay in here, away from the front door."

"Or I could just kill 'em," Dean whispered.

"Dean!"

"I'm kidding, well mostly."

"I know but you're gonna freak Aiden out."

They got into the bedroom and quietly closed the door. Dean ushered them to all sit in the far corner.

"I'm not gonna kill them unless they start shit. If they're here to steal from us...the Muggers that take from their victims and kill em...I'm not gonna hesitate. That scum doesn't deserve to live anyway."

"I know, but maybe they're not like that. Maybe they're just Scavengers and we hopefully won't have them run into us anyway."

There were several different people in the world now and they were all classified into specific groups... at least according to Dean.

Muggers were the people that stole from you and killed you, not necessarily in that order.

Scavengers were what most people were. Just trying to find enough food and shelter to survive. Not hurting anyone unless they were attacked.

And then there were the hunters. Dean figured anyone that went out of their way to try and clear out the Croats could be considered a hunter in his book. Croats were supernatural creatures after all.

There were other supernatural creatures out there still of course. But both Dean and Sam figured some breeds had died or were dying off. The ones that relied on humans for food had a much smaller source of food and unless they could find an alternative form of food, they wouldn't make it.

And there were demons. Demons that wanted to kill off any humans that they could find. A lot of people ended up being able to fight off getting infected. Many more than Sam assumed. People warned each other, formed safe houses and communities.

That was until the demons showed up and sent waves of Croats into any safe house they could find, killing any that may have lived.

No one was safe.

There were Croats of course. The creatures that were once human and turned into something else either by catching the demonic disease from another infected person, or from the swine flu "vaccine". By the time the government realized that the vaccine had been false all along, it was much too late. Now the world was infected with these mindless creatures, the only thing that existed in their brains was rage. They didn't bite out of hunger but rather of the uncontrollable anger and need to attack.

Dean was still trying to figure out exactly what they were and what made them tick, what the virus did to them and what happened to their minds. Sam on the other hand just wanted to protect as many people as he could from them.

But the thing was, any of these groups could be dangerous. You couldn't trust anyone. That was why they needed to stay quiet and lay low. Hopefully these people would just pass by.

The sounds got louder and Sam held his breath as he watched his brother pull out his pistol.

Sam really hoped that wouldn't have to be used.


	4. Chapter 4

_Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, and another thanks to my beta Gabi!_

* * *

As the footsteps grew louder, Sam felt Aiden wrap his arms around him. He buried his face in Sam's shirt as his little body shook in fear.

Sam was sure they were coming down the hall when a voice spoke up.

"Dude, I smell something!"

"Of course you do! The whole world reeks of rotting flesh and garbage, this building is nothing new!"

"No, really! Smell! It smells...good! Man, it smells like mac and cheese or something. Hell, someone's probably living here!"

"And how are they cooking?"

"I don't know, probably got a generator, let's check it out."

"Shit," Dean scowled, glancing over at Sam. "Watch the kid, I'm gonna watch the door."

"It's coming from over here," one of the voices stated. "This room's closed, what if it's..." Sam heard the doorknob turn. "It's locked! Someone's in here...hey, people! We're survivors! We've got ammo we'd like to trade in exchange for food!"

"We could use some ammo." Sam glanced over at his brother, waiting for his decision on what they should do.

The people began pounding at the door, any moment the Croats would hear and that would cause even more trouble.

Dean bit his lip in anger and then stood up. "Let's just tell 'em to trade and leave. If they give us shit, we beat em up." He turned around to face Aiden. "You stay here and shut up. Don't make a sound, understand me?"

While Aiden nodded his head shakily, Sam rolled his eyes. Scaring Aiden into being quiet may work, but it was a shitty thing to do.

"Just stay quiet okay?" Sam knelt down next to Aiden. "You'll be safe in here and we'll be back soon."

Aiden sniffled and hugged Sam tightly. "Don't die guys. Please."

Sam's heart broke for this poor kid who had seen enough death to last several lifetimes.

"You know I'll be okay. I've got my big brother protecting me. And Dean's a demon so he can't die, okay?"

"Sam, we've got to hurry!" Dean whispered impatiently. The banging was getting louder. With one last look at Aiden, Sam turned and followed his brother to the living room, closing the bedroom door behind him.

Both brothers pulled out their guns and Dean switched his eyes to their human shade.

"Quit banging on the damn door! We're here to trade and that's it! Or if you want to start shit, turn back now because we won't hesitate to shoot."

"It's fine, man, were not here to start any trouble. Just a friendly exchange of goods if possible."

They sounded like they were telling the truth. Sam nodded to his brother and Dean opened the door a crack. He seemed to be studying the people and after a moment he opened it further.

"Don't come in. We'll bring what we've got to the door and exchange here." Dean was glaring daggers at the three strangers. The woman was nearly as tall as Dean and the two men were a bit shorter than Sam. However, they all looked a little intimidated by the two brothers. Sam and Dean were a lot stronger and more muscular than them. Hopefully their tough appearance would scare these people into behaving.

"Okay by me!" a ratty blonde man said, with a beard so long and dirty it was making Sam uncomfortable.

Shaving was one thing that Sam wouldn't let up on. He always kept a dull blade on him and since Dean could get electricity working with his powers, Sam's electric shaver still came in handy.

Even Dean, who seemed to be enjoying having a bit of scruff, never let it get too long. Dean told Sam having the thicker stubble made him look more bad ass and cool. Whatever made him happy. Sam just wished he would trim his hair a little. It wasn't long by any means, but Sam wasn't used to his brother having anything longer than his usual spiky hair cut. His bangs were hanging on his forehead, which they never did before, and the back of Dean's hair was starting to curl a bit down his neck. Sam made a mental note to take his shaver to Dean's hair.

Even the woman in this group looked like she hadn't brushed her hair in weeks. The other man had long hair that was so greasy it was practically shimmering.

Sam forgot how good they actually had it sometimes. He really should stop moping because at least they had food and water and got working electricity thanks to a generator and Dean. He began to feel bad for these people. They should trade with them. Maybe offer up some shampoo while they were at it.

"Sammy, grab some of those stale crackers and shit," Dean ordered him, never dropping his weapon that was aimed at the group.

Sam nodded and walked towards the cupboards. He only made it a few feet however before he felt another wave of dizziness pass over him. Sam paused, leaning his body against the dining table as he tried to recollect himself.

Dean was beside him immediately. In that split second when Dean's attention was shifted, long greasy hair stepped forward.

"You okay, man…"

"I said get back!" Dean bellowed, his eyes flashed black for a split second before he turned to face the man, still staying at Sam's side but waving his gun frantically at the man. "I'll shoot if you don't get your ass back in the hallway!"

The man held his hands up in surrender, beginning to back up before his eye caught something and his expression changed to something unreadable.

"Is that...Candy Land? Shit, either you two have some issues or you got a damn kid here!"

"A kid!" The woman squealed with delight and Sam knew they were screwed.

Kids were highly sought after for various reasons by certain people. If you offered them a kid, they'd pay, and they'd pay big. These people wanted to trade kids, to trade Aiden!

"The kid's gone, gave him away yesterday," Dean lied, his tone rough.

The woman snickered. "And you just leave the game out? Looks like someone was in the middle of a game when we interrupted. You're lying."

"You're not getting him." Dean aimed his gun at the woman. "So leave now or I'll blow your brains out."

"We just want to trade. Well give you out best ammo..."

"I said LEAVE!"

Before Dean could shoot, a blur of activity happened in a few seconds.

The door to the bedroom flew open, Aiden rushed out screaming "No, don't leave!" and ran right up to the woman.

In the blink of an eye she sneered and had Aiden in a choke lock, pressing just enough against his windpipe to immobilize him but still allow him to breathe.

"You shoot me and you're shooting him too. We're taking him. Just put down your gun, let us leave, and we'll all go our separate ways."

"Dean! Sam! Help!" Aiden cried and the woman shook him.

"Shut up you little brat or I'll shoot your buddies!"

Sam didn't know why Aiden had ran out of the room and up to the woman, but he had to save him. You're disgusting! Do you know what those people that you sell the kids to do to them?"

The other man, scraggly beard, shrugged. "There are some people that want them just to take care of them."

"Yeah, very few. Either way, you're stealing children from their caretakers and selling them to people!"

"Hey man, we just need the supplies and kids are worth a fortune."

Dean moved the gun towards bearded man. "And you don't care what happens to them? You're fine knowing that they're probably living through hell with sickos?" There was fire in Dean's eyes. Sam knew he was comparing what would be done to the kids who were sold and what happened to him in Hell. From the stories he heard and from Dean's admittance right then, Sam figured it wasn't far from what actual Hell was like.

"That's not our concern!" Greaseball growled.

"You're sick pieces of shit," Dean hissed. "Some of the worst, and trust me I know of a lot."

"I don't care what you think of us. We've all done stuff in this world we'd have never done before." Suddenly Greaseball raised his arm and pointed his gun at Sam's head. "Now let us go. He's injured and I see you care about that guy. Let us take the kid or I'm gonna..."

He never got to finish.

Sam immediately felt his body being flung up into the air at the same time the gun was knocked out of Greaseball's hand by an invisible force. He could have fought it if he wanted, but he trusted that Dean knew what he was doing. Sure enough, he flew through the air and into the bedroom, Aiden soon following while screaming in fear, his arms flailing. Sam sat up just in time to catch Aiden and see the door shut and lock.

Dean was making sure no one got in to hurt them.

Quickly covering Aiden's ears, Sam let the little boy hug him as he sobbed. Cursing was heard from the other room and the woman's shrieks pierced the air. Sam heard the word "demon" being yelled and then a choking, gurgling sound proceeded it.

There were thuds against the walls, a sickening sound of bone...probably a spine or neck snapping. Suddenly, it went quiet except for ragged, hitched breaths that Sam knew weren't Dean's. There was one still alive...just barely.

"You made one big damn mistake saying you were gonna kill my brother." Dean's voice was as cold as ice. The only time Dean ever sounded that way was when something like this happened. Sam used to worry, but he knew Dean would come around. He'd calm down and come to like he always did, he just needed a little help from Sam.

Sam waited until he heard a sound of blade cutting through skin before he dared to remove his hands from over Aiden's ears.

"Listen Aiden...," Sam began, trying to figure out how he could tell the kid that Dean killed those people without making him afraid of the older brother.

Aiden, however, surprised Sam.

"Did Dean kill those evil people?" His voice shook. "Please, he killed them right? I'm so sorry, don't let them take me away!"

"It's okay Aiden," Sam calmed the young boy. "Dean did get them okay? They're gone. No one's taking you away, you're going to come back to our house."

"I'm sorry I ran to the mean people. The lady sounded just like my mommy and I thought she might be nice like her too, but she was evil."

Sam's heart broke for the poor boy. It was obvious he missed that motherly presence, hopefully the women at Bobby's could help him out. "It's okay Aiden, you didn't know. There is going to be a lot of nice people when we get to our house and there are kids there too."

Aiden's eyes lit up with excitement, the crying and fear forgotten. "Really?"

Sam chuckled. "Yeah, really." He paused to look at the closed door. "I'm going to go out there and talk to Dean now. He's kind of worked up and angry about those evil people."

"Because they tried to shoot you," Aiden stated.

"Yeah and because they were gross and mean people, too. Don't come out yet because he needs to cool down a bit and only I can help him with that. I'll let you know when you can come and see him, alright?"

With Aiden's nod, Sam got up and unlocked the door. In the other room he found Dean sitting stiffly on the couch, methodically cleaning his bloody knife with a rag. His face was splattered with a few droplets of blood and there was a healing scratch mark on his cheek, probably from the woman's nails.

Dean was facing the door but he wasn't staring at it. In fact he didn't seem to be looking at anything in particular. A far away, dark look took over his features and when Sam tapped into his powers to view Dean's soul, it was sparking with a fierce and violent energy that wasn't usually there.

But it was okay. This happened before. It happened when Dean got really angry and killed people to protect Sam. He knew that he could get Dean to come back. Even in this state Dean would never consider hurting Sam or lashing out, it just wasn't possible.

"Hey Dean, I'm coming over," Sam stated, not wanting to startle his brother. Dean didn't turn around but Sam saw some of the tension release from his shoulders.

Walking over, Sam placed a hand on Dean's shoulder and sat down next to him. He noticed that the dead bodies were gone, but didn't mention it.

"I want to thank you for saving me and Aiden. He's really happy that you got those people. He's scared of course, but not of you at all. He ran out because that woman sounded like his mom." Sam squeezed Dean's shoulder and noticed that his soul had calmed down dramatically simply from Sam's presence and the physical contact. "You okay, Dean?"

Suddenly Dean turned his head to face Sam, his features were back to his normal grouchy, annoying, stupid self. "Of course I'm okay," Dean grumbled and stared daggers at Sam's hand on his shoulder. "Get your girly paws off of me."

Sam grinned and held his hands up in mock surrender. "Alright scary demon, take it easy."

"Shut up or I'll throw you out of the widow like I did with those dead sick freaks."

"Oh I'm sure you will." Sam smirked and motioned for Aiden to come out.

The boy slowly walked towards the brothers and stopped in front of Dean. "You're not really going to throw Sam out the window are you?" he asked in a worried tone.

"Yes, I'm totally going to throw my baby brother out the window to get eaten by Croats." Dean rolled his eyes.

Aiden scrunched his face up in concentration. "You're joking!"

"Wow really, how'd you know?" Dean asked in a fake overly excited tone before his voice fell to a grumble once more. "No shit kid, of course I was joking."

With the admittance that Dean was never going to hurt Sam, Aiden took the few remaining steps and rushed over to Dean, clinging to him tightly.

"Thank you for saving me!"

Dean huffed, rolled his eyes and then patted Aiden's head twice. "Stop getting yourself in near death situations and I won't have to anymore."

Sam had to say, he more than agreed with his brother there.

Hopefully their journey back to Bobby's would be much less eventful.


	5. Chapter 5

_I'm sorry for the delay. With my last month of school and graduation, I was very busy. Thank you for your patience, and I hope you will enjoy this next chapter!_

* * *

They arrived at Bobby's hours later, dirty and tired. Sam felt like he was running on next to nothing, having travelled and dodged Croats while still feeling weak from the bite and infection. Dean had insisted that they find some place else to rest up and leave tomorrow but Sam had turned that idea down. Bobby was waiting, probably worried sick and if they didn't return back today, he'd probably come out himself to try and find them. Sam didn't want to risk Bobby's life because he was a little dizzy.

Luckily the dead bodies Dean threw out the apartment window had distracted the Croats that had been hiding out on the streets near by. They had gathered around the bodies, tearing them apart out of rage and chewing on their limbs and insides. Gross.

It allowed them to make an easy getaway, even with all the noise the fight had caused. They had to take a few breaks because Dean forced Sam to sit down and drink some water and eat stale crackers. Other than that, they dodged some Croats and saw no other signs of human life on the trek back to Bobby's. Aiden didn't even complain about the walking, he just hugged that stuffed dog of his close to his chest and stayed right at Sam's side as Dean led the way a few paces in front of them.

When they arrived on Bobby's doorstep it was sometime around midnight. Jody, a neighbor of Bobby's and the former sheriff of his town (and who Dean was assuming had something going on with Bobby) was on lookout. She stood up from the chair she had been sitting on and held up a hand.

"Hold on boys, I'll get Bobby."

They waited for the typical routine. Jody knocked a rhythm code on the door, they had codes for everything, to signal that Sam and Dean were back.

Thank goodness it was Jody guarding tonight. She was much accepting, if a little wary still, of Dean whereas most of the other adults just couldn't wrap their minds around a demon staying with them. No matter how much Dean helped out or saved lives and told the damn truth, these people were afraid to stand near him, doubted his actions and plans and tried to keep the kids away from him.

The thing with the kids was, only one adult actually had a child, the rest were orphans. They couldn't tell the kids what to do; they didn't listen because the adults weren't their parents. The kids loved Dean and his powers, even with that grumpy attitude and rude remarks. They thought he was cool, that he was like a bad guy who decided to be good instead like you see in the movies. The adult didn't like it but there was nothing they could do.

Even though they were afraid of Dean, they knew he offered great protection and the use of electricity which was nearly impossible to find. They trusted him enough to the point where they knew he wasn't going to kill them.

Except for Freddie, the asshole was in general a mean person….and then he had found out about Dean being a demon...well he just used that as an excuse to bash, insult and blame Dean for nearly everything. The only reason Dean probably hasn't snapped his neck was because he left Sam alone for the most part. But the way Freddie treated his brother made Sam seriously wish that Dean would just off him.

And it just went to figure that Freddie had a younger brother, Vince. The kid was about ten years younger than Freddie and went with whatever his brother said, it was almost as if he were a slave that Freddie could order and push around. He seemed to use his brother to his advantage and to have someone on his side rather than actually caring about the kid. Freddie and his brother were the reason for most of the tension around Dean. If it weren't for their constant nagging about how Dean was evil and going to turn on them, Sam figured a lot of the uncertainty surrounding Dean would vanish.

Speaking of Freddie, Sam couldn't help but notice how he was peering out the front window as Bobby rushed outside to greet the brothers.

"What the hell took you boys so long?" Bobby shouted, concern written all over his face. He didn't even bother splashing Sam with holy water or checking to see if they were shapeshifters. They all spent so much time together that Bobby knew just by looking at the brothers if they were impostors or not.

"We got a little held up, nothing to worry about." Dean shrugged.

Bobby also knew when they were lying straight to his face. "Don't give me that shit boy, something went down, something scared that crap outta ya, I can see it all over your face as you're usually a pain in the ass to read."

Dean huffed and then looked down at Aiden. They had told him to stay quiet about Sam getting hurt. But the boy still didn't know that Sam got bitten. They weren't going to let him know, it would just freak him out and cause him to ask questions and possibly slip up and tell other people.

"We'll tell you Bobby, I swear," Sam said. "But we are all okay. Let's wait until we get Aiden inside. He's a really smart kid, you'll like him."

"Smart and bratty," Dean grumbled.

Bobby rolled his eyes. "Yeah, just like you." He focused his attention on Aiden and ignored Dean's glare. "Hey there Aiden, I'm Bobby. You'll be staying in my house now and we'll take good care of you."

"Will Sam and Dean stay too?" Aiden's voice was small and it was obvious he was a little nervous around the new stranger.

"Of course they're staying! They're my boys, and they aren't going anywhere, I'm even holding onto this one with his big fat mouth and bad attitude." He pointed his thumb over at a grumbling Dean.

Aiden giggled at Bobby's remark and then smiled sweetly. "Thank you Grandpa Bobby."

Bobby's face changed from kindness to a hilarious rage filled scowl when he looked up at the brothers. "Oh not again! Which one of you idjits told him to call me that?!"

"Don't look at me!" Sam defended himself and laughed when Aiden pointed at Dean.

"I should have known. You're going to get it boy, I don't care if you just got back from an exhausting journey, you're gonna be pretty damn busy these next few days." Bobby got pleasure from seeing Dean scowl and turned to face the young boy once more. "Now why don't you let Sam take you inside and introduce you to everyone and get ya' cleaned up. I'm gonna have a talk with Mister Attitude over here."

Sam shared a knowing look with Dean and then Bobby before grabbing Aiden's hand. "Let's get inside, buddy. Dean will be there in a bit."

As soon as Aiden was out of earshot, Bobby glared at Dean. "Now what the hell happened out there?"

Dean groaned and like usual, didn't want to answer. Bobby didn't need to know this shit. He'd just worry and yell about it.

"Nothing. We just got a bit caught up by some Croats, had to hide out."

"Don't give me that shit Dean! You can try to deny it all you want, but we're not going inside until you tell me just what happened. Something scared you shitless; I can see it written all over your face!"

Dean rolled his eyes as he eyed the house and saw Freddie staring daggers at him. Great, he was going to get berated out here and then harassed inside the house. The only reason why Dean didn't choke the guy to death was because Sam wouldn't like that. Sam wanted to give everyone a chance, so Dean kept his mouth shut about Freddie's behavior towards him.

Turning back towards Bobby, who Dean knew wouldn't leave him alone without an answer, Dean sighed. "What Bobby? What is this one damn thing you're so sure can scare me?"

"Sam!" Bobby declared, taking Dean aback. "That brother of yours is the only thing that can evoke so much emotion out of you. And if you looked that scared, something hurt Sam. What happened to him?"

Well that was pretty surprising. Bobby found out without Dean saying a single word. There was no way out of this. Dean knew Bobby was right although he'd never admit it out loud. And Bobby was worried about Sam too, and he wasn't going to rest until he knew what happened and that Sam was okay.

"It's fine now Bobby. He's okay."

"Well that's just fine and dandy. Of course he's okay or else you'd be flipping out. But what the hell happened?"

Fine. Bobby wanted to know. Dean wouldn't waste any time. "Sam got bit."

The older hunter's face turned ghostly white. "What?"

"He got bit and felt sick and I thought he was...I thought he was fucking turning but he didn't. He woke up and was weak, but he wasn't a damn monster and he's still immune. He's still immune...it isn't as advanced to where it could fight past his blood."

Bobby swallowed. "And this is because of the demon blood right?"

"Yeah."

Bobby looked back at the house before turning back to Dean. "Then you better keep having him drink your blood, you hear me? I never thought I would encourage this, but you can't have him stop if it's what's keeping him safe from this damn virus."

"I never intended to stop, you think I'm stupid?" Dean hissed.

"Of course not! I'm just making sure you know how I feel. If anything can keep him safe..."

"I should have been enough!" Dean interrupted, his voice filled with self-hatred. "I should have got to him before that Croat did!"

Bobby's eyes turned angry as he reached up and smacked Dean over the head. "Don't you go spouting that crap! I know you would have if there was anything you could have done! And Sam would never have put himself in the position to get bitten if there wasn't a reason."

"He ran towards the Croat to save the kid."

"Well there you go genius. Sam would have run towards no matter what. He wants to save lives. But now he's aware he can't be that stupid and run in without you. Lives will have to be lost sometimes at the risk of other's safety and Sam needs to see that. Don't you dare go beating yourself up about this, do you have any idea how that will make Sam feel if you continue?"

"But Bobby..."

"Enough! We're putting the group in too much danger being out here. Let's go inside and you can check up on your brother."

* * *

Sam heard Dean and Bobby finally come in and he knew what they had to have been talking about that entire time. Dean told Bobby what had happened and Sam knew that eventually, Bobby would chew his ass out for being as stupid as to run into a Croat.

But in the end, he had lived, left only with a bite wound that would turn into a strange scar and an innocent child was saved. There was so much death in the world that Sam felt like he was drowning in it sometimes, unable to stop it and help people. But this time...this time he made a difference, even if it was small, one more person was alive and had the chance to fight to survive.

Dropping the toy he had been playing with Aiden, Sam told the boy he would be back later and to play with his new friends. There were two girls around his age and a boy a few years older as well as a young boy that couldn't have been older than three. But age didn't matter with these kids, not anymore. They just wanted the chance to bond and escape into their imaginary worlds because anything was better than the real one outside.

Aiden tugged on Sam's jeans as soon as he stood up. "Can you ask Dean to come in and play?"

Sam highly doubted Dean would agree to that, but he smiled anyway. "I'll try and see if he wants to." He loved that the kids could forget that Dean was a demon and see him as the person he was underneath.

Speaking of the way that people treat Dean...as Sam was walking out of the basement that now served as the kids' room, he heard Freddie's leering voice.

"What the hell took you so long demon? Something we should know about?"

"Back the fuck off, Freddie. Nothing of what we did concerns you."

"What are you going to do about it? Kill me? In front of all these people? I bet that's what you did when you were out there...killed some people..."

Sam had not meant to snoop in the conversation, but he simply couldn't take anymore. He walked up the remainder of the stairs.

"Hey!" He said, his voice booming, "You have a problem with my brother, Freddie?"

Freddie flinched at Sam's tone and at least backed away from Dean. "Just making sure he wasn't up to no good, trip took longer than..."

"The trip took longer because we found a little boy and had to go slower for him and take care of him. Did that ever occur to you?"

"I was just..."

"Dean has better things to do when we go out rather than killing random people for no god damned reason, as you're accusing him. Things like bringing back supplies and food for the people here, like your sorry ass."

Freddie simply glared at Sam, mouth opening but then shutting, not finding the words for a comeback.

"That's what I thought. Now stop worrying about what MY brother is up to and go take care of your own." Sam watched as Freddie turned and stormed out to the backyard, where the rest of the group's makeshift cabins and tents were set up.

Sam turned to face his brother who was looking at him with wide eyes and a bit of amusement. Sam didn't find any of this funny, though.

"Is he threatening you or anything Dean?" Freddie had been giving Dean trouble since day one. But most of the people they rescued didn't' trust or like Dean at first. Some still didn't, but none of them had the guts to approach him and demand where he went. Sam just hoped it was Freddie trying to appear brave to pump his ego.

Dean sighed. "Nah, he's just an annoying ass. Kind of funny to mess with him."

"Well, if he is, you just tell me and I'll kick him out. Because I won't stand for that and neither will Bobby. No one gets to treat you like that; I don't care if it means throwing out a survivor into danger."

"You think I wouldn't be able to handle him? He's all talk and no bite anyway, and he's new. He'll get used to me." Dean smirked, but something in his gaze told Sam otherwise.

He wanted to believe Dean, but he had this nagging feeling that they had been too eager to save as many people as possible and had let the wrong person into their group.

* * *

Dean woke up rather early, or at least what would be considered early for him. After that asshole Freddie had attacked him yet again and Sam hearing it this time...it had bothered him all night. He didn't want Sam to know about that. His brother didn't deserve to have to worry about that.

Hopefully that asshole would leave him alone now though now that he knew Sam was on to him. Dean really wanted the guy gone, not only was he an ass but Bobby's place was getting overcrowded. The area they fenced off that served as Bobby's backyard and shelter for the majority of the survivors was packed. The house was too small and they just didn't have the room or amenities to help so many people.

But Bobby wouldn't leave his house. He claimed it was because of the amount of supernatural lore and weapons he owned, but Dean figured he was just attached to the place. He wished Bobby would learn that you couldn't get attached to anything in this world.

And then there was Sam who wouldn't turn down anyone in need, which wouldn't be so much of a damn problem if they were settled in a better place.

Speaking of Sam, Dean turned to check on his brother to see how he was doing. Sam was, as expected, passed out and lightly snoring. Good. Kid deserved all the rest he could get.

After taking a shower and changing into some clothes he had nagged at a mall a few weeks ago, Dean headed downstairs carefully. He didn't like interacting with other people, mostly because they acted like he was a contagious monster, after all he did for these assholes. Sure, Dean didn't exactly communicate with people very well anymore but they didn't have to avoid or flinch at him so obviously.

Whatever, they didn't matter anyway. Most of these people irritated Dean to no end anyway.

As Dean turned to head into the kitchen, the person that loved to shower him with underserved kindness was occupying the room. A grinning Marcy greeted him, holding a plate of pancakes.

"Why hello there Dean! Thanks to the pancake mix you brought yesterday, I have a delicious breakfast waiting for you!"

Dean rolled his eyes but he had learned to hold back the retort that wanted to flow from his lips automatically, which simply was a factor of being a demon. There was no reason to be rude to Marcy when she was actually being genuinely kind to him. Dean may be awkward and huff and groan during conversations with people, but he wasn't cruel to those that wanted to help him. Dean had learned to chill his erratic behavior in this past year and to take out his pent up anger on those that actually deserved it. Marcy wasn't one of those people.

She was also one hell of a cook as well. She did well with the scarce supplies that they had. This time they had actual pancake mix...and it looked like Marcy had put fresh blueberries into the mix as well.

"Gimme that," Dean said as he snatched the plate from her hands but he couldn't help but at least grin as he did so. He wasn't going to be a complete ass to this lady, even if she was talking to him like he was a child and not a demon with deadly powers. "Thanks," he ended up mumbling around his first mouthful of food.

"See!" Marcy beamed. "I knew there were manners in there somewhere! You're welcome sweetie."

The "sweetie" shit got on his nerves. Not even after she learned that Dean was a demon did she stop with that. Although she had been a bit freaked out at first, she claimed that "she could see that there was good in him".

But hey, she did accept him and obviously wasn't afraid or repulsed by him. Dean couldn't deny that he enjoyed being treated like an actual person and not a diseased monster by someone other than Bobby and of course, Sam. He had to admit that she wasn't as irritating as he had originally thought her to be a year ago.

Plus, she did make _really_ good food.

"Where's your brother Dean? He's going to miss breakfast," Marcy piped up yet again.

Rolling his eyes once more, Dean swallowed loudly. "He won't miss it because I'm gonna save some for him. And he's still sleeping, probably will be for a while."

Marcy smiled and sat down next to him. Uh oh, he hoped she wasn't about to go off on one of her rambling stories. "Now Dean...how do you feel about this Freddie character?"

What? Now this had Dean intrigued. Was even Marcy noticing that something was odd about the asshole?

"I think he's an ass that hates me just 'cause I'm a demon and doesn't care what good I do, he'll always be out to get me."

"Yes...well..." Marcy looked nervous. She glanced out the window and then looked back at Dean. "I want you to stay away from him."

"I'm not gonna kill him, so chill Marcy."

"I'm not worried about you harming him, Dean. I know that you don't go out to cause pain to other people...but him..." Marcy shook her head. "I'm worried about what he will do to you, he seems so cruel...I see the way he treats his brother compared to all the love you show Sam...and then I saw him practicing shooting this morning."

"Everyone practices."

"I know but the look in his eyes...it's as if he's out to kill, very determined."

Dean shook his head. "He can be determined all he wants, shooting me isn't gonna kill me, no matter where he shoots or how many bullets he puts into me."

"But...what about the magic gun?" Marcy whispered.

"You mean the Colt?" Marcy was one of the few people that knew about the Colt and what it did. Early into the Croat invasion there had been a few demons that had tried to attack Bobby's place and Sam had killed one with the Colt, thus prompting an explanation to Marcy. "I told you never to mention it! And it's safe, he's not gonna get his hands on it and he doesn't know about it anyway."

Luckily, Sam chose that moment to stumble into the kitchen, rubbing his eyes and effectively stopping the conversation that had been taking place.

"Sammy, eat some of this shit." Dean lifted up the plate stacked with pancakes on the counter by using his powers.

Sam raised an eyebrow at the floating pancakes before trudging over and grabbing it out of thin air. "Yeah, good morning to you too. What were you guys talking about?"

"Nothing important." Dean didn't feel like he was lying either. "Did you get enough sleep? You look like crap."

Sam gave Dean a look that clearly read "you think? I just got bitten by a Croat!" and huffed. "Well thank you. Typical morning with Dean, get insulted and listen to him bitch while he uses his powers for his own amusement."

Dean grinned in response. "And you wouldn't have it any other way."

"Yeah, yeah..." Sam mumbled, sitting down across from Dean and on the other side of Marcy. Speaking of Marcy...she was looking back and forth between the brothers with a stupid smile on her face. Dean often wondered what the hell she was thinking when she did that, but maybe it was a lot more simple and obvious than he knew. He wasn't very good at reading human emotions as it was.

Much to Dean's relief, Marcy stood up. "I'm going to go check on the kids; I'll see you boys later."

Dean huffed as she walked away. "I can't believe she actually willingly sits alone in the kitchen with me. What's up with that?"

Sam elbowed him in the side, hard. "She's a nice lady; she sees that you're a good man. Don't question it and just be happy that she doesn't only see you as a demon and nothing else. It also helps that you're not being an ass to her. A few years ago you would have."

"I'm always an ass," Dean scoffed. "I just choose not to show it all the time."

"Well, that is true." Sam rolled his eyes and took another bite of his pancakes.

From outside, Dean could hear Aiden's voice, talking to someone. Might as well find out what the brat was up to. Marcy hadn't gone outside, but rather to the kid's room where most of them probably were. Knowing Aiden, he was probably getting into all sorts of trouble outside.

"I'm gonna head outside," Dean announced as he stood up.

"Okay, I'll be out in a bit, I'm going to talk to Bobby first, I think he's in his room."

"Yeah, you do that. He's pretty pissed at you for letting you-know-what happen."

"That's what I was meaning to do." Sam sighed.

Dean didn't envy his brother. "Good luck with that, he's gonna chew your ass out." He snuck outside before Sam could ask if Dean could join him in talking to Bobby.

Dean hardly got any time to take in the warm weather and shining sun before he felt something run into his legs. Irritated, he looked down to see Aiden clutching at his legs in a hug.

"Dean!" The young boy squealed happily and looked up at the demon. "I was looking for you and Sam!"

Dean had to fight to not pry Aiden off of him. "Sammy's still eating and then he's talking with Bobby. He'll be out later."

Dean's patience was actually rewarded as Aiden let go of Dean on his own. "Okay, can you teach me out to shoot guns?"

Dean glanced over to where people were on shooting practice, something Dean himself has set up months ago. They shot with BB guns in order to conserve ammo and also with crossbows.

Sam would probably give him a shit-fit for teaching Aiden how to shoot because of his age. But they had a small BB pistol and the kid needed to learn to be safe, just like everyone else. His brother would get over it.

"Yeah, sure. Come on."

Aiden, obviously surprised by Dean's acceptance, stood in shock for a moment but quickly ran to follow Dean. "Will I be able to kill the Croats soon?"

"Probably not."

"Why?"

"Because it's not easy to learn to shoot a gun." Dean sighed, his patience wearing thin already and stopped in from of and open stuffed target they had created. "Okay, now listen and shut up. To kill a Croat, you need to either shoot or stab them in the head or cut off their head."

"To make them headless? I read a story about the headless horseman once."

Dean looked down at the kid and tried not to smirk. "Uh, yeah. Sure, like that. Except once their head is off, they're dead. They don't go galloping around on horses, alright?"

Aiden nodded, watching as Dean unlocked the gun chest and rooted around in it.

"Besides, kid, you're not strong enough to decapitate a fricken' Croat. Your only chance would be shooting it right in the brain." Dean found the gun he was looking for, a small one with little recoil, and then shut and locked the chest again. "Now pay attention."

"Okay!" Aiden eyed the gun and while his eyes glistened with excitement, he also looked frightened at the same time.

This actually caused Dean to chuckle, and he didn't honestly laugh much unless he was with Sam, of course. But damn, that look on Aiden's face...he couldn't help it.

"There's nothing to be freaked out about as long as you pay attention. So relax kid. As long as you're safe and know what you're doing, no one gets hurt." Dean bent down and motioned for Aiden to come up to him.

The young boy nodded and stepped closer to Dean, eyes locked on the gun.

"Now I'm gonna teach you how to do this just like I taught Sammy. And he's damn good with a gun so as long as you listen and do exactly what I say, and don't mess something up like usual, you're gonna do fine. First thing's first..."

* * *

About an hour later and Dean had to say Aiden wasn't half bad. He had listened well, hadn't shot anyone and had finally gotten the hang of aiming.

It was all due to Dean's amazing teaching skills.

And then of course, Sam had to walk on over. Just great, after all of this hard and awesome work he'd just done, he was about to get bitched at.

"Sam!" Aiden yelped with glee but then paused as he realized the gun was still in his hand. He looked up at Dean. "Put it down first." He repeated one of Dean's number one rules - if you're not using the gun, put it down before doing anything else.

Dean nodded curtly and watched as Aiden handed the gun to him, making sure he kept his finger off the trigger, just as the older brother had told him. He then turned and bolted towards Sam.

The younger brother bent down, laughing when Aiden ran into his arms.

"Come out to bitch at me?" Dean inquired.

Sam sent a confused glance Dean's way. "What? I think I've had enough bitching from Bobby."

"Did he drill it into you that you don't go running up to a Croat, no matter if it's to save someone or anything?"

Sam rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I get it. I won't do it again."

"And you're honestly not going to throw a fit that I'm teaching Aiden how to shoot?"

Sam raised his eyebrows and let go of Aiden. "That's what you thought I was going to bitch at you about? I understand that he needs to learn. And Dean...if there's anyone I trust to teach him how to work a gun, it's you."

Dean smirked proudly. "Well, I am the expert and best shot around."

"Yeah, and you've got the biggest head too." The younger Winchester stood up. "How's he doing?"

"How 'bout you watch and see?" Dean handed the BB gun over to Aiden again. "Now don't screw up or Sam's gonna think I can't teach you."

Luckily, Aiden managed to hit the dummy most of his shots. Once the round was up, Sam smiled brightly while clapping his hands.

"That was awesome Aiden!" He held up his hand and the boy handed his gun to Dean once more as he ran over to give Sam a high five. "Bobby wanted some help organizing his books, you want to help? After, Marcy will have a treat for us."

Aiden nodded, it was obvious he liked feeling useful.

Sam turned to Dean. "You want to come?"

"Sort through books and shit? What do you think?" At Sam's eye roll and huff, Dean grinned. "Nope, I'm gonna allow myself some practice. Not that I need it, of course. But I do want to try out that Crossbow we found the other week some more."

"Alright, knock yourself out. But come inside in an hour or so or you'll miss the desert."

"Like I'd miss that. I'll just teach Aiden how to put the gun away then I'll send him after you."

Sam nodded before he turned to retreat to the house. As Dean knelt down and began to explain the process of properly and safely putting the weapon away, a shadow fell over them.

Dean looked up to see Freddie towering over them.

Fucking asshole. What did he want to start now?

"Look what we have now. The demon is now corrupting children!"

The people who had been leaving dean Dean alone, although keeping their distance from him, now turned to see what the commotion was about.

Dean let out a harsh laugh. "Oh yeah, I'm so evil, that's why I'm teaching the kid how to protect himself. Get away, asshole."

Freddie sneered. "Your You're showing kids how to kill like you, poor innocent kids!"

"There's no such thing as innocent anymore, and by teaching him how to shoot, it's keeping him alive."

"Yeah, right. I'm not stupid, you're brainwashing them young to turn into your followers, just like you did with that brother of yours."

Dean couldn't help it; he jumped up and shoved at Freddie. "Don't you dare talk about my brother or I swear I'll..."

Freddie smirked. "Kill me?" He gestured to the people standing outside. "See! There you go! He's just like any other demon, filled with rage and violence, it's just a little buried, but it will come out, just like it did now!"

"Just leave him alone Freddie," one of the women spoke up, surprising Dean. "He could kill you with the snap of his fingers and he hasn't done so yet. And with you constantly nagging at him, that's saying a lot."

Freddie, of course, snarled at her. "You people are arrogant; you're going to become one of his many victims! Don't turn a blind eye to his demonic ways!"

A teenage boy chuckled. "You're the one who's acting demonic. At least dean Dean leaves us alone and doesn't shout like a lunatic."

Dean wanted to laugh, but that was before he saw that Freddie's face turned bright red. Aiden walked over to him in that moment and pushed at him. "Leave Dean alone, you mean man!"

Freddie grabbed Aiden's arm harshly and threw him to the ground. "Shut up you stupid brat!"

People starting rushing over frantically. They were shocked by this behavior but Dean wasn't. He knew it was a matter of time before this freak snapped. He used his powers to help Aiden, who was fine other than being scared, to his feet. The little boy ran over to hug him while crying.

"Look who's the one that's actually hurt children, not me. That act just resulted in you getting kicked out once everyone tells Bobby." Dean grinned wickedly. "Congratulations asshat."

Turning, he placed a hand on Aiden's back to guide him towards the house. He saw Sam rushing out, and then heard him scream his name in horror.

Dean didn't have time to turn around as he felt a bullet enter the back of his head. He fell to the ground, his vision going black. The last thing he heard were screams all around him, his brother's standing out among all the rest, and then a snarling voice…

"Might as well take you out before I leave, then."


End file.
